From evidence to action: Understanding the impact of funding modalities on development policymaking
International development organizations are currently facing profound financial challenges. With core budgets stagnating, many have turned to earmarked funding to sustain their operations. However, evidence from previous research undertaken at the University of Glasgow suggests these funds are often less effective and can create significant bureaucratic challenges. This project seeks to answer a critical question: Why does earmarked funding continue to grow despite its well-documented challenges?
To address this question, the project will investigate why development policymakers choose earmarked funding and whether data on its effectiveness changes their preferences. The project recognizes that these decisions are not made in a vacuum; they are driven by a complex mix of political pressures, inter-agency competition for resources, and the shifting tide of public opinion.
The project adopts a three-tiered empirical strategy to map the relationship between institutional incentives and funding choices:
- Large-N observational analysis: To establish when and why evidence shapes funding choices in global development
- Survey experiments: To test how policymakers and citizens respond to specific information and incentives
- Key informant interviews: To capture the nuanced context behind decision-making
By identifying what drives earmarked funding in donor agencies and international organizations, this project reveals how to make development financing more effective. The findings will show how—and if—evidence actually influences policy decisions. While these results directly benefit those seeking a better-funded multilateral system, they also offer broader lessons for public policy and the social sciences.
Project team
Bernhard Reinsberg (Principal Investigator)
Juliet Bayor (Doctoral Researcher)
Project dates
1 January 2026 – 31 December 2028
Funding and support
This project is funded by a UK Research & Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship. It represents the next phase of a sustained research agenda, expanding on a previous four-year program focused on the effectiveness of resourcing international organizations.
The program benefits from an active advisory board with leading scholars and policymakers:
Lisa Chauvet (Université Paris I Sorbonne)
Axel Dreher (Heidelberg University)
Jörg Faust (DEval)
Jonas Tallberg (Stockholm University)
Margret Thalwitz (former World Bank Managing Director)